Bates and Bates Investigates
by Mellowmom
Summary: John and Anna have left service. And instead of the hotel by the sea, fate has pushed them towards a different kind of business.
1. Chapter 1

Bates and Bates Investigate….

_**Here's a possible multi-chapter fic about another way out of service for John and Anna. It's been mentioned before as a dream spin-off from Downton Abbey once the series ends…and so I thought I'd give it a shot and try to write an alternative to the Bates hotel by the sea.**_

_**Hope you enjoy it. If you do, please drop a review… actually even if you don't feel free to leave a comment. **_

_**Per the usual… John and Anna Bates do not belong to me, nor do any other citizenry of Downton Abbey . They belong to Julian Fellowes. I'm only borrowing the characters for this fic. **_

It was a chilly winter morn in London. John gazed out of the window from their newly leased office that fronted on to Oxford Street. He couldn't help exhaling on the cold glass smiling as it fogged over. On an impulse he raised his hand and traced a heart with his index finger upon it, chuckling over his primitive drawing.

He looked at it and shook his head in wonder… Who would have thought a man in his early 50's would be so daft as to doodle on a window and enjoy it so much. Such was the power and lightness that his wife, Anna gave to his being. He was young in spirit again, if not in chronological age, taking pleasure in things that his contemporaries would think silly and a serious warning sign that he was losing his faculties.

Just as he was about to add JB + AB to his artwork, Anna walked into the front office.

"Mr. Bates, have you seen the new ledger?" Anna queried, her head buried in a piece of mail that had come with the morning post.

Startled, John took a quick swipe with his hand across the window and wiped out all traces of his brief descent into childhood.

"Well last time I saw it it was in the center drawer of the desk in the back office. Have you checked there already for it?"

Anna looked up from what she'd been reading and flashed her husband a quick smile.  
"Actually, no. I hadn't checked there. Thanks, love. I do recall now seeing it there yesterday. Seeing we're the only two here, I doubt it grew legs and walked off elsewhere. I'll go fetch it and we can go over our budget for the month."

That said, Anna turned and walked away from John, who stared at her until she disappeared into the other room.

Alone for a brief moment until she returned, John admonished himself to stop thinking about the evening before with his lovely wife and concentrate on business for now. He had long given into the fact that he was totally besotted with Anna, a fool for her, with her wishes his command. But now he had to rein in those thoughts and passions that she aroused in him and literally get down to business.

They had just left service a fortnight ago, after selling the London House and pooling their savings with the proceeds from the sale to invest in their own business… Bates and Bates Detective Agency.

The choice had been a difficult one. The question was not whether or not to leave service, but rather what to do once they left. Their dearest desire had been to open a hotel somewhere near Downton, working together side by side, eventually surrounded by their children.

But that dream was shattered in a way when some fertility tests John had taken six months ago revealed that he would be unable to father any children. They had both cried over the diagnosis, and it was hard to tell which one of them took it hardest. But together, they had come through their disappointment. So while the hotel was still an option for them, it had lost a bit of its luster.

The idea of a detective agency however had been an option simmering on the back burner for quite some time. It was initially born out of Anna's great sleuthing skills in acquiring evidence which eventually resulted in her husband's release from prison. John also exhibited an uncanny ability to locate missing and/or hiding witnesses and "persuade" them to tell the truth during an investigation. He also was good at hiding himself and leaving no trace of his whereabouts, which would prove a useful talent if there was a dangerous criminal that needed to be followed.

So the idea of Bates and Bates Investigates came together several months ago. John spent his half days looking into leasing some office space for their new venture, while Anna threw herself into research regarding what it takes to set up a detective agency…licensing, training and testing. Once they were both convinced that they could meet all the requirements, the decision was made to move forward to leave service and two weeks ago their detective agency opened for business.

Anna had just walked into the room with the ledger in hand when the phone in the front office rang. John and Anna looked at each other with raised brows and John indicated that she should answer it.

"Bates and Bates Detective Agency. This is Mrs. Anna Bates speaking. How may we help you?"

John smiled when he heard Anna refer to herself as Mrs. Bates. Even though they had been married for going on 7 years, he still had moments where he couldn't believe that they were truly man and wife, and that Anna had chosen him out of all the blokes in the universe to be her husband. Hearing herself call herself by her married name always gave Bates a bit of a thrill, once he got over the shock of hearing it.

While lost in his reverie, John missed the details of the call and only heard Anna say goodbye to who he hoped was their first client.

"Well, I must say, I never thought someone from Downton would be our first customer!" Anna mused out loud.

"From Downton? John queried. "Who was it and what do they need us to do? Was it Lord Grantham?" Bates was concerned that someone at the Abbey would be trying to acquire their services as detectives. What mystery or mishap had befallen someone associated with the Crawleys?

"No, not Lord Grantham. In fact it's no one from upstairs."

"Then who is it? What needs to be done?"

Anna's gaze turned from the phone and directly into John's eyes.

"It was Miss Baxter… Mr. Molesley has disappeared!"

**Thanks for reading this so far. If you like it and think I should continue, a short review would be a great way to indicate the story should go on. So, shall we find out together what's happened to Molesley?**


	2. Chapter 2 - Molesley

_**A very short chapter from Molesley's POV, with more to come shortly. I've never written Molesley before so this is a new exercise for me. No Anna or Mr. Bates in this chapter, but they'll be in the next one and the next one and… you get my drift.**_

_**Thank you so very much to those of you who took the time to send me a review. It means a lot and your encouragement to continue on with this story is appreciated.**_

Joseph Molesley opened his eyes with a start and was very much alarmed when he realized that he couldn't see a thing. He was immersed in a pitch black world. A little high-pitched whimper emerged from his mouth as the thought briefly flashed across his mind that he'd been blinded in some unfortunate accident. It would just be his luck, he mused. But, his fears slowly disappeared as his eyes adjusted to his darkened surroundings. He could barely make out the outline of some furniture... a desk, a chair, and what looked to be a small cot of some sort.

He was laying on the floor, the material construction of which became quite obvious to him when he got a splinter as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Blimey," he yelled… as he picked at his hand in the dark…hoping to find enough of the tip to pull it from his palm. "That's going to leave a mark…" His mind began to spin forward to the worst case scenario…What if he couldn't get it out, and it got infected, and he got blood poisoning or gangrene and they'd have to cut off his hand!

"Get a grip, man!" Joseph said out loud in an effort to calm his negative thoughts. "It's just a splinter, and …Ow!" he yelped out loud.

Molesley felt a sudden stabbing pain in the back of his head. Reaching up instinctively to try and find the cause of his additional discomfort, his fingers found a large lump. It was a rather big goose egg and very tender to the touch. But how did he get it? Molesley's mind continued to work overtime wracking his brain trying to remember what he had done or had done to him that left him in this rather precarious situation.

Alone in a room with no lights, a large bump on his head, a sliver in his hand, and not a clue why or where he was. He began taking deep slow breaths in an effort to calm his racing heart and push down the panic that he felt building up inside. It was a technique that Phyllis, ah Miss Baxter, had taught him to employ when he felt he was giving in to the stress and pressures of the job. He wished she was there with him now to calm his nerves.

"Steady on…steady on", he repeated to himself with each breath as he attempted to gain control of his emotions. "Think, Man… What happened to bring you to this place?"


	3. Chapter 3 - Miss Baxter

Chapter 3 – Phyllis Baxter

_**Apologize for the long delay… Hopefully next chapter will be up sooner. I know this is Anna and Bates investigates storyline, but felt it important to delve a little bit more into Miss Baxter's psyche and the reason she's so concerned with Mr. Molesley's disappearance**_

_**Reviews as usual will be deeply appreciated. Honestly I'd about given up on this one until I got a review last week. So thank you very much for your inspiring words…**_

Miss Baxter hung up the phone with a trembling hand. Despite the calming words from Anna Bates, and assurances that she and John would jump right on the case of the missing Mr. Molesley, Phyllis couldn't help but feel a shiver of concern run up her spine just as the call ended.

Joseph Molesley had become her dear, and possibly only, friend at Downton. His steady confidence in her and encouragement to tell the truth about her past to Lady Grantham had made her realize how much she needed his assurances, and dare she admit it, his presence in her life. She found his honesty, openness and yes, even his naiveté to be charming and refreshing in a world filled with lies, cynicism and hidden meanings. He was her rock whether he knew it or not. Phyllis smiled thinking of what Joseph's reaction would be if she told him.

"I'm your whot?" he would have exclaimed. " I don't see how you could possibly see me as such. Ummm except maybe in me arms. I do have very strong arms…"

So sweet and innocent was her Mr. Molesley. Phyllis swallowed hard and fought back the urge to cry remembering that no one had seen him since yesterday morning. Those long hidden feelings of abandonment that she had fought so hard to overcome as an adult suddenly filled her conscious mind.

Phyllis Baxter had known hardship in her life. Deserted by her unmarried mother as a child, she initially found herself being shuttled back and forth from relative to relative until neither friend or family was able to afford to care for her any longer. Times were tough, money was short and none of Phyllis' relatives had been able to locate her mother or knew who the father was, so she was sent to St. Swiften's orphanage at the age of five.

Quiet but quite bright; she'd learned quickly how to "get on" in the world. She learned "her place" and what was expected of her and to deliver no more than that, lest she be considered uppity or too bright for her britches. She was a voracious reader at an early age and took every opportunity to sneak a book from the library at the orphanage. Reading was not encouraged at that institution because books were looked upon as tools of the devil that stirred up the imagination resulting in unhappy souls, who were not content with their assigned station in life. The orphanage saw it as their mission to deliver complacent, obedient citizens who were happy with their lot. Rebels with or without a cause were dealt with severely at St. Swiften's. Phyllis learned that lesson well and never forgot it.

So Baxter hid her books in places snooping eyes hopefully would not find. And she never went anywhere without a book smuggled somewhere on her person… just in case the opportunity would present itself for her to snatch a moment to read away from her fellow orphans or the staff .

She remembered fondly how much she loved Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" with its tales of knights and damsels in distress… star crossed lovers and fair maidens rescued by men of honor. It was a world so far removed from her current existence that she often sought solace from its pages. Someday her knight would come and rescue her from her current life. Of that she was sure. It was a dream she kept close to her heart even as she left the orphanage and made her way in the world as a young adult. But eventually, the dream would be forgotten as everyday life drained any hope of escape or positive change from her mundane existence.

For the next 25 years, Miss Baxter's career had followed the narrow career path developed for people who were in service. She started out as a scullery maid, worked her way up to housemaid, and finally a lady's maid. Her climb to the top of servant respectability had been unremarkable, yet she eventually found herself as the most likely candidate for the head housekeeper position at the Benton House on Irvington Square.

That is, until Mr. Coyle arrived. Tall, good-looking with impeccable manners and a smile that had left a trail of broken hearts from London to York, Peter Coyle looked every part the "hero" in all those books Phyllis had read as a child. She quickly came under his spell and his promises of taking her away from a servant's life proved too strong a draw for her to pass up.

With his false words of an enchanted life together, doing what they wanted when they wanted, ringing in her ears, Phyllis stole from her mistresses' jewelry box and gave the ill-gotten gains to Peter as proof of her faith and love for him and to bankroll their dreams of a better life together. When Mr. Coyle abruptly left and failed to contact her where she should meet him to start their new life together, Miss Baxter realized sadly that she had been duped, blinded by her own aching need not for wealth, but rather for love.

She would have gladly run off with Peter without a penny had he asked her to… but clearly, it was all about the money for him. Once he had it, he left without batting an eye or leaving a forwarding address. Phyllis bore the entire responsibility for the theft. Unable to return what she had stolen, she was tried and sentenced as a common thief to the woman's prison in London.

After serving several years, she was rewarded with early release for good behavior. However, she was still on parole, not entirely free of the threat of incarceration again. It was clearly explained to her that even a hint of a criminal act no matter how small, or association with so much as a petty thief, would result in her being brought back to London to serve out the remainder of her sentence.

A tip from one of her friends alerted her that there was an estate looking for a ladies maid. This brought her to Downton and eventually her budding friendship with Joseph Molesley began. Only now he had also disappeared from her life. He was the only one, besides Thomas Barrow, who knew the whole story about the missing jewelry and Mr. Coyle, and now Joseph was gone. What made his disappearance all the more gut wrenching for Phyllis was this niggling fear in the back of her mind that she might be responsible for his possible abduction from Downton. Had her past, caught up with him?

Silently cursing her previous life under the influence of Mr. Coyle, she was jarred back into the present when the phone rang again. She held back picking up the handset, waiting for either Mr. or Mrs. Carson to answer it, as was common practice at the Abbey.

Two rings…three rings… Phyllis' eyes darted up and down the hallway hoping to see either the butler or his wife headed towards the jangling phone that was within Baxter's reach. Just as she was about to abandon decorum and answer the phone she heard a deep male voice rumble down the hallway.

"Mr. Carson speaking. You've reached Downton Abbey. How may I help you?" Miss Baxter relaxed as she heard the bass undertones of the butler's voice emerge from his pantry.

"Why Anna. How nice to hear from you," Mr. Carson sounded genuinely happy to hear from Mrs. Bates. "Miss Baxter? Well of course I can find her for you. But might Mrs. Carson be of better assistance. As you know little goes on around the Abbey that Elsie is not aware of… Oh, all right, I understand. I'll tell Miss Baxter you called and she can return your call when she's completed her duties. It was a real pleasure to speak with you Anna. Please pass on my regards to your husband." And with that Mr. Carson ended the call before Miss Baxter had a chance to make her presence known outside his door.

She coughed softly to alert the butler that she was standing in the hallway, and as she hoped Mr. Carson opened the door to his office and saw her loitering a few feet from his pantry.

"Ah, Miss Baxter… How fortuitous. I was just going to go look for you. It seems that Mrs. Bates wishes for you to call her regarding some important 'personal business?'" Carson's eyebrows arched inquisitively as he uttered the last two words.

"Umm…oh no, Mr. Carson… It's not personal. I called her and Mr. Bates regarding Mr. Molesley's disappearance. I thought perhaps that they might be able to help search for him. He's been missing for over 24 hours now."

Carson drew himself up in a huff and looked down at Phyllis with some irritation. "First, as I am the butler of Downton Abbey I am acutely aware of how long Mr. Molesley has been missing. But more importantly Miss Baxter am I to understand that you've engendered the services of Bates &amp; Bates to help us track down our wayward footman? Did someone give you permission to do this Miss Baxter, or is this a solution you came to on your own and are going to pay for yourself?"

Phyllis gulped and opened her mouth to explain but her throat went dry and all she could muster was a sound that was a cross between a croak and a hiccough. She swallowed rapidly a couple of times to get some moisture down her throat as she attempted to answer her superior's question.

"Forgive me Mr. Carson. I didn't mean to overstep my authority. I merely asked Anna to find out if searching for missing persons was something that she and Mr. Bates would be able to assist us with, should of course, Lord Grantham decide to seek professional assistance in locating Mr. Molesley. I would never presume that hiring their services directly was something that I could do as a Lady's Maid."

"Well, Miss Baxter…just to make this clear… You are correct. Hiring the Bateses to go on a search for Mr. Molesley is definitely NOT something contained within your job description. But as luck would have it, his Lordship had asked me less than an hour ago to look into hiring John and Anna to help locate our footman, so there will be no consequences for your calling the Bateses . But you understand that this type of presumptuous behavior will not be tolerated in the future. We all have our roles in life, Miss Baxter. And yours does not include hiring people to work for Downton."

"Yes, Mr. Carson." Phyllis bowed her head in abeyance to the butler. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't!" Carson snapped back. "If you've completed your duties for Her Ladyship then go ahead and return Anna's call. The sooner we find Molesley, the sooner Downton will be back running at top efficiency." The butler then turned back into his room and closed the door. Baxter swore she heard a woman's giggle coming from the pantry just before the door shut.

Phyllis headed for the phone in the library. She had no idea why Anna was calling her back so soon. They couldn't possibly have found Joseph so quickly, but what a relief if they had. Mr. Molesley would be safe and she would be free of the worry that her past had been the cause of his disappearance.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Many thanks for the reviews and again an apology for not updating sooner. Life and a new job raised their hoary heads and its taken me this long to finally find some time to write. I'm hoping that the bit of silliness that occurs in this chapter doesn't distract from the story too much. While I really love all the angst and drama that John and Anna go through in most fanfics, I thought it might be fun to interject a little comedy into their lives. If I've gone too far or you think that my attempt to lighten the story distracting, please let me know via reviews or PM's. Thanks again for reading. Also this chapter is dialogue driven, a big departure from the previous chapters. I hope its not too hard to follow. Again comments and reviews are appreciated.**_

"Miss Baaaxter?" The voice on the other end of the line could be no one else but Anna Bates. "Thank you for returning my call so quickly. I know you must be wondering why I'm calling you back so soon, but a most peculiar thing happened shortly after we spoke today."

"Peculiar?" Phyllis echoed back. "In what way was it peculiar... and does it have anything to do with Mr. Molesley's disappearance?"

"Well, that's just the thing, Miss Baxter. Someone called a few minutes after we completed our chat. Mr. Bates answered it and spoke to a man. He told me after he hung up that he hadn't recognized the voice, but apparently this fellow knew we could contact you and was quite adamant that we tell you something. Why he couldn't just call you at Downton and tell you himself, I do not understand. But perhaps his message will make the reason clear to you."

"What did he say?" Phyllis' voice rose higher and her heart began to beat faster and faster.

"I'll let Mr. Bates tell you. The silly dear didn't write the message down."

Phyllis involuntarily held her breath.

"Miss Baxter? Mr. Bates here. It was most unusual what the gentleman on the other end of the phone, wanted me to pass on to you. He left me a rather cryptic message. I hope you can make sense of it."

"I certainly will try my best, Mr. Bates. Now what did he say?"

"He said... 'Her ladyship's soap'."

"Her what?"

"OH... I'm sorry, wrong cryptic message." John's ears reddened as Anna gave him a soft swat on the arm.

John cleared his throat and started again. "What he said was 'Her Ladyship's necklace'."

The next thing John heard was Miss Baxter utter the words "Oh no, not"... followed by a rustling sound and then a thud.

"Miss Baxter? Miss Baxter is everything all right? Miss Baxter?" John's voice increased in volume as he continued to call out to the stricken lady's maid on the other end of the line.

"What's going on John...What happened?" Anna grabbed for John's arm so he would lower it and she would be able to hear for herself.

"I think Miss Baxter's fainted," John said in a hushed voice.

"Are you sure Mr. Bates? Might you be mistaken as to what you heard? You know your hearing isn't what it used to be?"

Slightly irritated at Anna doubting what he knew to be true, John curtly responded.

"Well Mrs. Bates, I heard a sound reminiscent of a sack of potatoes hitting the ground. And seeing as there are probably no elevated sacks of potatoes just floating about the Abbey, I deduced that it must be Miss Baxter that hit the floor."

"There's no need to sass me, Mr. Bates!" Anna licked her lips and gave John a wink.

Immediately John felt his cheeks start to flush. "There is in fact a time and place for sass, Mrs. Bates and well you know it." John responded with a smirk.

Staring into each other's eyes for a brief moment both John and Anna forgot all about poor Phyllis on the Abbey floor. Anna placed her hands on John's chest and heard his breath hitch when her fingers lightly touched one of the buttons on his waistcoat.

"John...," Anna purred.

"Anna..., John growled"

"Joseph..." wailed Baxter on the other end of the phone..

John and Anna both backed away from each other as they realized that Miss Baxter was indeed conscious and apparently had made some sort of a connection between the message left her and Mr. Molesley's disappearance.

"Miss Baxter, Are you all right?" Anna jumped and shouted into the phone that John was holding several inches above his wife's head.

"Mrs. Bates... please stop leaping about. I'll lower the phone down so you can hear also." John stooped forward so that the phone was next to Anna's ear.

"Now as you were saying, Miss Baxter," John spoke in soft and soothing tones.

"It's Mr. Carson, Mr. Bates," Carson's voice abrasively loud through the phone lines, causing both John and Anna to jump back. "Miss Baxter seems to have had some sort of fainting spell... Mrs. Hughes is with her right now. What on earth is going on? What did you say to the woman to leave her in such a state."

"Her Ladyship's necklace." Bates responded.

"I'm sorry... her what?" Carson's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense out of what Mr. Bates just said.

"Her Ladyship's necklace" John was now shouting into the phone as if that would make it all clearer to Mr. Carson.

"I'm not quite understanding the meaning of this all, Mr. Bates." Carson answered back.

Bloody hell, John said under his breath. "Here, YOU talk to Carson and explain what happened." Bates gave the phone to Anna and walked away from the scene. He needed to take a walk anyway to stretch out his leg. Now was as good a time as any to check out their surroundings on Oxford Street.

"Mrs. Bates, what is the meaning? Will you please clear up this mystery for me?' Anna was surprised to hear the personal plea in his voice. Mr. Carson usually never asked for anything to be explained to him, lest the younger footmen see it as a weakness. Best leave them feeling intimidated before the seemingly omniscient head butler was the façade that Charles always presented to the staff.

"Mr. Carson, before I continue, how is Miss Baxter doing?" Anna inquired.

"Of course, let me check Anna." Mr. Carson turned to Elsie. "Mrs. Hughes?"

No answer.

"Ahem, Mrs. Hughes, Anna is asking how Miss Baxter is doing?"

Still no answer.

Frustrated, Carson straightened up to his full height and boomed "Mrs. Hughes!"

Elsie slowly raised her head as she looked away from Phyllis, who while pale was conscious, and had been speaking rather animatedly to Elsie a moment ago. Her gaze then continued up to Mr. Carson who was now glowering at the housekeeper.

"I have no idea who or where this Mrs. HUGHES you keep asking for, IS Mr. Carson. The only Mrs. Hughes that I'm currently aware of was my mother and she's not walked this earth for the past 15 years..." Elsie smiled as she saw a small flicker of recognition followed by embarrassment flash across the head butler's face.

"I apologize...Mrs. CARSON." The butler's cheeks reddened as he addressed his wife of less than a year. "You do realize it is new to me...having a wife," he mumbled under his breath.

"Oh for pity sakes, Charles. We've been married for nearly a year now. You should be well and truly used to referring to me as Mrs. Carson by now!"

The sound of his Christian name being uttered by his Elsie caused Carson to turn an even darker crimson. Any breach of proper downstairs etiquette he found very hard to deal with, even when the perpetrator was his own dear wife.

The public chastisement over, Mrs. Carson continued. "Tell Anna that Miss Baxter is awake and just needs to rest awhile. She'll be fine in a few minutes. She told me she was quite shocked at the message Mr. Bates had given to her."

'Miss Baxter is fine, Anna. Just surprised at what Mr. Bates had told her," the butler relayed.

There was a silent pause of several seconds until Carson broke the silence.

"What exactly was it that Mr. Bates told her, again?"

"The message Mr. Bates recounted to Miss Baxter was "Her ladyship's necklace".

"Yes... Yes... quite... I remember now that Mr. Bates told me that, but what does it mean Anna?"

"I've nowt idea, Mr. Carson. I believe only Miss Baxter can answer that."

Carter turned back to Elsie and Phyllis, who had her head resting on Mrs. Carson's shoulder.

"Miss Baxter. I must insist. The message that Mr. Bates gave to you...'Her ladyship's necklace', what exactly does it mean?"

Phyllis raised her head off Mrs. Carson's shoulder. Her eyes were wide as she slowly looked from Elsie towards her towering husband.

"It means, Mr. Carson," Baxter's eyes began to fill with tears. "It means that I know who has Mr. Molesley and why. And that the dear man is in a very, very desperate situation...Life threatening." The tears began flowing rapidly down her cheeks. "And... and... I'm afraid that nothing or no one can save him now!" she wailed.

Despite being stunned by the revelation and emotional response Miss Baxter had just given, the butler remained stoic and remembered to relate to Anna what Miss Baxter had said.

"I'm sorry Anna. There doesn't appear much you and Mr. Bates can do about this awful situation. Miss Baxter knows who by and why Mr. Molesley has been taken from us, and it appears that a rescue is not possible. No one can help him now."

"Mr. Carson, I appreciate your candor regarding the situation, and I'm sure that Miss Baxter truly feels that nothing can be done. But, I'm hoping that you and more importantly, your Lordship allow Mr. Bates and I to continue looking into Mr. Molesley's kidnapping, We would like the opportunity to bring this situation to a positive conclusion, if at all possible. Let me confirm this with Mr. Bates, but I'm sure he'll agree. If he does not, I'll call you. Actually, we'll need to speak to Miss Baxter at a time when she's less upset, so either way expect a call from one of us on the morrow."

"Very well, Anna. I'll pass on your message to Miss Baxter and his Lordship after our conversation concludes. But I must say, I can't imagine what either one of you can do to change what appears to be a foregone conclusion that Mr. Molesley is doomed."

Just as Anna hung up she heard the front door open and the familiar half-step of her husband as he returned from his walk.

"Anything interesting happen, while I was gone, love?"

"


	5. Chapter 5 - Who?

_**Many apologies for letting this fanfic go. Luckily, the chapters are relatively short, so if you need to re-read to make sense of this chapter you can do so rather quickly. This is a Molesley-intense chapter but I promise that Bates and Anna will be appearing heavily throughout the rest of the story. That being said, none of these characters are mine... save Christine, so far.**_

Joseph sat in the only chair in his sparsely furnished room. Taking inventory of himself, he noted that outside of a dull ache in the area of the large bump on the back of his head and a tiny stinging sensation in his hand from the splinter, he was in pretty good shape.

With the morning light he had a better chance to decipher his surroundings. He seemed to be in some kind of daylight basement, with the morning sun's light filtering through windows that were located high atop one side of the room. If he stepped back towards the center, away from the walls, he thought he could see people's shoes as they walked past his makeshift prison, seemingly unaware of the existence of this room buried below street level.

He could also hear the sound of motorcars sputtering along on the road above him.

"Motor cars," Molesley mused. "I must be in a city and judging by the number of cars I'd say it's a fairly large one."

"You're not in Downton anymore Joe-Joe" he said reverting to his boyhood nickname. "No, indeed. You're in a big city...but who's brought me here, and why?"

Before he had much of a chance to ponder the identity of who that person might be, his breath hitched at the sound of keys jangling outside his door, followed by a click as he watched in wide-eyed horror while the door knob slowly began to turn.

"Who...who...who's there?," Joseph warbled. "Don't come in, I'm warning you, I'm armed." And with that Molesley grabbed the chair in his room and held it like a cricket bat, arms back, shoulders squared, ready to do damage to whoever walked through that door.

"Aye... get ready man," he continued to himself. "Surprise is the key," Joseph counseled aloud. Followed by another voice in his head berating himself "Hmmm, then perhaps you shouldn't have mentioned you are armed!" Molesley often had these internal debates when placed in a situation requiring decisive action.

"Step away from the door else you make me do you harm," growled a disembodied voice from the other side of the door. "I've no desire to hurt you, Mr. Molesley, but if you try anything I'll make you pay."

That not so veiled threat, coupled with the shock of being called by his name was enough to make Joseph rethink his plan to bash his captor with a chair. Slowly he put the "weapon" down next to the table and backed up until he found himself pressed against the far wall.

The door slowly creaked open and a tall, well-dressed man walked into the room. He carried a tray of food and sauntered over to the table, placing Molesley's meal upon it.

He eyed Joseph in the dim light, his eyes narrowing as if he was trying to size up his prisoner. "I can't say I see what she sees in you, " he mumbled.

"Wha.?... who... she who? " Joseph stammered upon hearing his warder's words.

"I said, I don't see what she's sees in you! Are you deaf? Or just dumb?" the tray bearer sneered.

"I'm neither", Molesley snapped and immediately regretted his tone as the man took a menacing step towards him.

"Well...well...," the man chuckled. "The little mouse has a spine... Perhaps there's more to you than meets the eye, Mr. Molesley. Which works well for my plans."

Emboldened, Joseph took a step slowly forward. "Look here sir. I don't know who you are, yet obviously you know who I am. And for some reason you need me to carry off some caper against God knows who or why? Can you at least tell me who you are... And why I am here?"

"You know, all you need to know for now, Mr. Molesley. Though I will give you this. You're here to help me win the trust and obedience of a certain lady's maid at Downton. Care to guess which one?" The man's upper lip curled as he posed the question to Joseph.

Molesley's mind raced through the list of ladies maids at Downton and came to a relatively quick stop as he realized there really were only two... Christine, who had been hired to replace Anna when she and Mr. Bates left service, and Phyllis that is Miss Baxter. As it suddenly hit him, Joseph felt his knees go weak as he squeaked out the name of his beloved Phyllis. 'Surely, not Miss Baxter?" he responded softly.

"Spot on, Molesley! Yes, the loverly Miss Baxter is the staff member I wish to submit to my wishes. And, you my dear chap will be the bait!"


	6. Chapter 6 - A Walk in the 'Hood

Chapter 6 – A Walk in the 'Hood

_**Just wanted to alert you to a correction I recently made to an earlier chapter. In Chapter 3 Miss Baxter's co-conspirator, Mr. Coyle was erroneously given the first name Julian. I believe I wrote it before I knew what his first name was.. It has been corrected to Peter. **_

_**Thanks again for the reviews! You've all inspired me to continue on with this story. **_

Anna quickly responded to John's query concerning the rest of the phone call. "Yes, it was very interesting Mr. Bates, but not very enlightening, It appears that Miss Baxter knows who the kidnapper is AND she seems to think that Mr. Molesley is in grave danger...His rescue... a lost cause!"

John took off his overcoat and hung it on the hook on the wall behind the office's large mahogany desk and then walked up behind Anna.

"Poor Chap. What a predicament! I'd hate to be in his shoes, wherever they might be located. Did Miss Baxter tell you the identity of the man who has nabbed Molesley and why?"

Anna smiled as she felt her husband's arms encircle her and for a moment her train of thought briefly derailed as she took in the scent of Mr. Bates. It was a heady mixture of sage and mint with, hmmmm, an undercurrent of tobacco. Apparently, John had snuck a cigarette in while taking his walk. She smiled at his silly attempt to cover up the evidence with a peppermint. He should know by now that she would not be so easily fooled whenever he tried to sneak in a smoke. But, she would always forgive him his little vices, because his virtues more than made up for them. "Why, just last night...," she mused, then sighed, and quickly refocused, realizing that she needed to get back to the case at hand.

"Actually, no...Miss Baxter did not. I had been speaking with Mr. Carson as Phyllis was somewhat debilitated at the moment. I told him we'd call on the morrow and would need to speak to Miss Baxter directly."

"I agree. It's best we hear what she has to say firsthand. Perhaps, we should make an appointment to see her in person. It would be nice to go up to Downton again, even if it's only on business."

"I also agree Mr. Bates. It would be better to see her in person. Let's not wait until tomorrow, I'll call later this afternoon and set up the meeting."

"Later this afternoon?" Mr. Bates lips twitched into a coy smile. "So, uh, does that mean you have time for some uh, "diversions", Mrs. Bates? I believe we can pick up from where we left off last evening...That is, if you want to?" John had whispered in Anna's ear and now eagerly awaited her response.

"Wanting to now, versus waiting until we have the time to enjoy ourselves for as long as we like are two different choices, Mr. Bates. But my decision is easily made. I know you and I know me, and most importantly how the two of us are together. I've always found the pursuit of such "diversions" to be far more enjoyable with no time restraints, and unfortunately, we've not the time at the moment." Anna flashed her husband that winning, sideways smile that always made his knees go weak, as she disengaged herself from John's embrace.

"Whatever you say, my darling." John sighed, as he struggled to hide his disappointment. But he knew Anna was right. Some engagements were best left until there was time to properly enjoy them.

Eager to change the subject for now, Anna asked her husband about his walk around the neighborhood?

"Did you meet any of the other business owners on your walk, John?" she queried.

"No, Dearest. None of them were outside of their stores and I didn't want to intrude on them inside their businesses. They may have been with customers or clients." Suppressing a chuckle he continued, "I was quite happy to wander about aimlessly and ponder the meaning of life."

"John Bates, I can do without the cheekiness, thank you. You know we've been here over two months now and don't even know our neighbors on either side."

"Well, to our left is a haberdashery owned by a Mr. Truman and on the right, a dressmaking shop, and the proprietress is named Claire Darcy. Next time I'll venture out farther and see if I can meet others." Bates couldn't resist and added..."Not bad for someone who isn't very friendly."

"Mr. Bates! Why would you ever say that?" Anna became very defensive if anyone, even John himself implied that he was only ever sullen or brooding. It was okay for her to tease him, but she was fearless in her defense of her husband if anyone outside of their tribe even hinted that he was less than perfect.

"I guess I never mentioned it to you before, Anna. It was something that Mr. Molesley told me several years ago. Remember when he was out of a job and in need of some financial assistance?"

"But of course I do. You made up some story that he had borrowed money from you and "repaid" him to help get him back on his feet. It was a very sweet and noble thing you did for him, John. I don't see how that would make you unfriendly?"

"Ah, well you see in order to get a copy of Mr. Molesley's signature so I could forge it onto the the fake promissory note, I had stopped by to see him earlier in the day and requested him to sign a card congratulating Gwen on her marriage."

Anna couldn't see the connection. "And then you applied what you had learned in prison. I remember you telling me that. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at the time. But again, why would that make you unfriendly?"

"Molesley was surprised that I would go out of my way to get a card signed for Gwen. He told me I had always been courteous, but he had never thought of me being 'friendly' towards anyone other than you, my love."

"Silly chump!" Anna's eyes flashed briefly but calmed quickly. She realized that no one knew her John the way she did. The kind of man he truly was. Only she had experienced the depths of kindness, generosity, and passion that existed beneath her husband's quiet and stolid exterior. On second thought, she could see how Molesley might not think of John as being particularly friendly.

Her thoughts were abruptly disturbed once again as John observed aloud, "Oh and there was one other thing that kept rolling around in my mind on my walk...

I couldn't hear his voice distinctly, and it was only for a brief moment, but that voice I heard on the phone this morning, the one that said 'her ladyship's necklace'...It sounded familiar, Anna. I'm pretty sure I've heard it before. I just can't place who, where or when."


End file.
